U.S. House Passes Legislation on Voter Registration Citizenship Proof

In a significant move, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that mandates documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship for anyone registering to vote. This decision has sparked warnings from voting rights organizations, which argue that it could potentially disenfranchise millions of Americans. Known as a pressing issue for President Donald Trump and House Republicans, the legislation aims to prevent noncitizen voting—an occurrence said to be rare and often accidental rather than part of an organized effort to manipulate election results.

Termed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, the bill now progresses to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. Should it become law, all voter registration applications would fall under this requirement. Furthermore, voting rights advocates point out that the law could also impact voters who legally change their names or move to new locations, as they would need to re-validate their registration.

The SAVE Act demands that states reject any voter registration applications lacking documentary evidence of citizenship. Acceptable forms include a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a valid U.S. passport, a military ID, or a government-issued photo ID. There are concerns that this requirement could pose challenges for individuals who struggle to obtain necessary documents, particularly those without easy access to birth certificates or passports. However, Republicans assure there are measures for states to accept additional documents in cases of name changes or limited access to these pivotal forms of identification. They argue that the ultimate goal is to uphold the integrity of elections by ensuring that all voters are indeed U.S. citizens.